Oh the return to Abu Dhabi this time was SO much easier than last year!!! No furniture to buy, no phones to get, no waiting for visas and drivers licenses, and we already have TV & internet – a “must have” with teenage girls! We could actually unpack and get right back into our life here! Ramadan was just finishing so we didn’t have those challenges either. But it was extremely hot!!
Our friends slowly returned from their “homelands” and we all compared our summer stories. Many had visited family and colleges! We had a week before school started so we could slowly get back into the routine. The time change is really difficult for me – 8 hours. I am waking in the middle of the night and the crashing in the afternoon!
I’m actually quite excited bout the start of the school year this year for selfish reasons! My very good friend here – Kay Johnson, her husband works with Leon – and I had started a “New Family Buddy Program” at our school this year. What is the saying – “Necessity is the Mother of Invention”? Well we were both new here last year and we so happy to have each other. But not every family has that situation, and many Moms struggle. So we created this program that would match up current families with new families to help them through the transition. We had spent a lot of time last Spring matching families that would be joining the school this Fall. Our first major function was going to be The New Family Orientation that would occur the day before school started. We are very excited to see these families come together and to help the new families adjust! Who would have thought a year ago that I would be heading a program to help other new families!
What a difference a year makes!
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